1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to retainers, and more particularly to a sealed retainer grommet adapted to be inserted within an opening in a body panel member, such as a body panel member for a vehicle.
2. Discussion
Conventional drillpoint screws are used in a wide variety of applications to secure articles or various other components to panel members, such as body panel members of a vehicle. The drillpoint screws are typically driven into the body panel member by a power drill and extend through some form of collar or other like retainer to hold the collar or like retainer securely to the body panel member. The collar, in turn, is then used to hold another article, such as a portion of a wiring harness, securely to the body panel member.
Drillpoint screws, however, have a number of disadvantages when used in applications where the body panel member may be exposed to elements such as water, salt, or other like corrosive elements. For example, while used extensively in the automotive field to secure various collars or other like retainers to interior body panel members of a vehicle, drillpoint screws have the disadvantage of providing a path through which corrosive elements such as water or salt may enter interior compartments of the vehicle formed by the body panel members.
Another disadvantage of conventional drillpoint screws is that wire assemblies can be damaged due to improper installation of the screws. Since the drillpoint screws have sharp ends necessary to pierce metal, the screws themselves can cause damage if they accidently come in contact with wire assemblies or other components being secured to the vehicle body panel.
Yet another disadvantage of drillpoint screws is that drills or other like power driven implements are often needed to quickly drive the drillpoint screws into secure engagement with the body panel member. Even with power driven implements, when a significant number of drillpoint screws need to be installed, such as on a vehicle, the cost of labor in installing the drillpoint screws can be significant.
Finally, since drillpoint screws pierce the sheet metal with which they engage, the sheet metal becomes more susceptible to corrosion damage after the drillpoint screws are installed.
As an alternative to the use of conventional drillpoint screws, standard "Christmas tree" type retainer members are often employed by directly inserting them through predrilled holes in a body panel member. The standard retainer members typically include a plurality of locking shoulder portions which extend through a collar or other like component and through an opening of a body panel member. The locking shoulder portions engage the periphery of the opening of the body panel member to prevent the standard retainer member from being easily withdrawn from the opening, to thereby secure the collar or other like component to the body panel member. The standard retainer member also provides the advantage of quicker installation as compared to conventional drillpoint screws since it typically can be "pressed" into the opening, rather than drilled, thereby reducing the time it takes to insert the standard retainer member.
While being quicker to install than conventional drillpoint screws, the standard retainer member nevertheless typically does not sufficiently seal the opening in the body panel member to prevent corrosive fluids or other like components from passing through the opening. As described above, in automotive applications, it is highly desirable to "seal" such openings to prevent such corrosive components such as salt and water from entering interior compartments of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a sealed retainer grommet apparatus which is particularly well adapted to be inserted through an opening in a body panel member, such as a body panel member of a vehicle, which not only provides a good "seal" of the opening but also enables a conventional standard retainer member to be used to secure a collar or other like instrument to the body panel member.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sealed retainer grommet apparatus which is integrally formed as a single piece component and adapted to be quickly and easily inserted into an opening in a body panel member without the need for special or expensive tools.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sealed retainer grommet apparatus which can be manufactured relatively quickly and inexpensively from widely available materials.